


Auld Lang Syne

by nickelkeep



Series: Nickel's Story Time Series [26]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based on Thai Cornetto Commercial, Castiel and Dean Winchester Live Together, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Dean Winchester Has Feelings For Castiel, Dean Winchester Talks About Feelings, Demisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Eventual Relationships, Light Angst, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Oblivious Castiel (Supernatural), Openly Bisexual Dean Winchester, Pre-Castiel/Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickelkeep/pseuds/nickelkeep
Summary: Cas shook his head and snapped his attention back to Dean. "Nothing. Nothing is going on.""Nothing, sure. Someone, yes." Dean looked in the direction where Cas had been staring just a moment before. "Who's the brunette?""That's Meg." Cas shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "We work together at the paper.""She's cute. You ask her out yet?" Dean stabbed his pie with his fork and shoved another bite into his mouth."Uh, no. Why?"Dean winked. "Means she's available, right?""No offense Dean, but you don't have a chance. She has standards." Cas took a sip of his tea and looked at his roommate."Ouch. You wound me, Cas." Dean rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his knuckles. "Bet you I can get Meg to go to the New Year's Ball with me."
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Nickel's Story Time Series [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1431565
Comments: 35
Kudos: 182
Collections: ProfoundBond Prompt Collection





	Auld Lang Syne

**Author's Note:**

> Storytime number 26! Guys, I'm halfway through this goal!
> 
> And it's super appropriate that it falls on today, cause New Year, New Fics, and Happy Dean/Cas, right?
> 
> A lot of people, when I gave the option wanted a NYE fic for the boys, so I bit the bullet and stayed in Holiday spirit for one more week.
> 
> And! I also filled out a prompt that I wanted to do, A fic based on that Thai Cornetto ad. (If you haven't seen it, you can [Click Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV1u4SNkays)!)
> 
> I hope you all have had an amazing Holiday Season, whatever you celebrate, and we'll be back in the new year with more Dean/Cas Storytime!  
> ...  
> You can find me on [Tumblr](https://nickelkeep.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nickelwrites).

Cas wasn't often caught unaware. But sitting in the coffee shop, watching as his colleague Meg got her mid-morning iced-coffee? The way she casually chatted with the barista? Cas was fascinated. Which is why he didn't hear Dean walk up behind him and claim the seat next to him.

"Hiya, Cas." Dean sat down with his own cup of coffee and a slice of pie.

"Hello, Dean." Cas eyed his best friend's choice of breakfast and shook his head before glancing back at Meg. "Pie at nine am?"

"Pie is an anytime food. You'll never convince me otherwise. Besides, it was discounted, why would I say no to good, cheap pie?" Dean took a bite of his pie and made an obscene noise.

"You have to do that here?" Cas asked, his eyes briefly flitting to Dean before going back to Meg.

Dean coughed and cleared his throat. "It's good. Sue me." There was a brief pause in which Cas assumed Dean was eating more of his pie before Dean spoke up again. "Cas? Earth to Cas. What's going on, Space Cadet?"

Cas shook his head and snapped his attention back to Dean. "Nothing. Nothing is going on."

"Nothing, sure. Someone, yes." Dean looked in the direction where Cas had been staring just a moment before. "Who's the brunette?"

"That's Meg." Cas shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "We work together at the paper."

"She's cute. You ask her out yet?" Dean stabbed his pie with his fork and shoved another bite into his mouth.

"Uh, no. Why?"

Dean winked. "Means she's available, right?"

"No offense Dean, but you don't have a chance. She has standards." Cas took a sip of his tea and looked at his roommate.

"Ouch. You wound me, Cas." Dean rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his knuckles. "Bet you I can get Meg to go to the New Year's Ball with me."

Cas sputtered, choking on his tea. "You what?"

"You heard me. Meg, there may be out of my league, but no one can resist the Winchester Charm. I can convince her to be my date for the party." Dean took a sip of his coffee. "Afraid to take the bet?"

"No." Cas grabbed a napkin and wiped up some of the tea that he coughed up. "I'm more than happy to watch you fail."

"You going to be there to catch me if I do?" Dean leaned over and elbowed Cas in the side.

Cas rolled his eyes. "Haven't I always been there to pick up the pieces?"

"It's settled then!" Dean sat back up and took another bite of his pie and continued talking through it. "I am going to need a small assist from you, though."

...

A few hours later, Cas met up with Dean for lunch. "She said she was leaving shortly before I left," Cas commented as he sat down across from Dean and stole an onion ring off of his plate. "I'm not sure how you're going to make this work, though."

"With charm and sophistication. Something you think I'm lacking, apparently." Dean joking licked his pointer finger and pinky before smoothing them over his eyebrows. 

"And there you go, acting like a nerd again." Cas grabbed Dean's drink and took a sip. "What are you planning on doing?"

Before Dean could respond, the door to the Cafe opened, and Meg walked in, heading to the counter to put her order in. Dean looked at Cas and smirked. "Now, we wait."

"Are you serious?" Cas stole another drink from Dean's cup. "How do you know she's not going to take the food back to the office?"

"I don't." Dean shrugged. "But that's a risk I'm going to have to take."

The guys watched as Meg stepped up to the counter and placed her order in, before receiving an order placeholder for the table she would sit at. Cas rolled his eyes and looked at Dean. "Horseshoe up your ass."

"I can agree with that." Dean stopped watching Meg and glanced at Cas. "It's like I'm supposed to date her or something."

Cas huffed and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, trying to not focus on his best friend going after his crush. He checked his work email, as well as his personal email, not noticing that Dean got up until h sat back down and gave Cas an ice cream cone.

"Remember how I said I need your help?"

"Yeah?" Cas questioned, tilting his head.

"Go take this to Meg, and tell her it's from me." Dean handed the ice cream cone to Cas and sat back in his seat.

"What are you? A pre-teen girl?" Cas took the ice cream and headed over to Meg, who was finishing up the bowl of soup she was eating.

"Hey, Clarence." Meg looked up and smiled, causing Cas' heart to attempt to burst out of his chest.

Cas shoved the ice cream at Meg, blushing. "This is for you, from my friend, Dean." Cas pointed over to where he had been sitting. Dean was watching, and once Meg looked at him, Dean smiled and winked at her. 

"Well, Clarence. You can tell your friend Dean that I appreciate his gesture. I'm a sucker for Rocky Road." She playfully licked the cone while looking at Dean.

Cas shook his head and uttered a noise of disgust under his breath before walking to the table he shared with Dean. Dean was already standing up with a cup in his hand. "Here you go. Ginger Honey Iced Tea, extra honey."

"Thanks?" Cas took the drink, his favorite in the Cafée actually, and followed Dean outside. "Can I ask why you didn't just deliver the ice cream to her yourself?"

"One, I'm still covered in paint." Dean did a spin around, showing blotches of paint over his tee-shirt and jeans. Second, I can't blow all the charm in one session. I gotta spread out the love, just sayin'."

"Right. Like that'll work."

Dean chuckled. "It does if you do it right." He started to walk back towards their apartment before stopping. "Hey, before I forget, new stuff on Netflix tomorrow night, including that documentary you didn't get to catch in theatres. You can get off, come home, we can order in Chinese?"

"That sounds nice, but I need to get back to the office. Deadlines and all that."

"And all that." Dean tapped his fingers to his forehead before pulling them in out salute to Cas. He turned around to continue the walk to their apartment as Cas turned around and headed back to work.

...

Later that afternoon, Cas sat at his desk in the bullpen when Dean walked up to him, a drink carrier in hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I come and visit you at work?" Dean asked. "It's not my first time stopping by."

Cas raised his eyebrow in question. "Okay. so this has nothing to do with Meg?"

"Fine, you caught me." Dean handed Cas a strawberry lemonade from the café. "I saw her drinking this earlier, thought she might like another one. But I don't know where she sits." Dean ran his fingers through his hair before sitting down in a chair in front of Cas' desk. "Think you could deliver it for me?"

"Are you serious?" Cas crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not your delivery boy."

"No, but you said you'd help me. It'll work best if you help me out and deliver this to Meg."

Cas rolled his eyes, but took the cup and headed a few spots over to Meg's Desk. "Sorry to bother you again, Meg. But I have another delivery." Cas pointed over his shoulder to his desk, where Dean was grinning like the Cheshire Cast. Dean flicked his up hand in response, smiling and waving at Meg, causing another sigh to escape Cas' lips.

"That's very... sweet of him." Meg looked around Cas and waved back. "Thanks, Clarence. Unless there was something else, you needed?"

"No," Cas shook his head and stepped back in the direction of his desk. "I'm good." He turned around and walked back to his seat, sitting down across from Dean. "Happy?"

Dean nodded. "Just about. Can you blow this popsicle joint yet?" Dean set another Ginger Honey Iced Tea in front of Cas. "You've been working hard. It's still the holiday season. Come home and get some rest."

"I can't. Not yet, but I'll be done in about a half-hour." Cas smiled at the tea in front of him.

"Okay, but I'm holding you to that." Dean stood up and pointed a pair of finger guns at Cas. "See you soon."

That evening, Dean bombarded Cas with questions about Meg, much to his dismay. Cas was kicking himself for not asking Meg out himself sooner. It was especially annoying because Dean asked for additional help.

"Morning, Meg." Castiel met Meg outside of the office, stopping her before she could run over to the café to get her morning iced coffee. He already had one in hand, the way she liked it, and handed it to her.

"Really, Clarence?" Meg smiled at him. "This is sweet."

"Wish I could take credit." He pointed over to a table in front of the café.

Meg looked around, and Cas watched as her lips pressed together as she held back a chuckle. "Dean, huh? Well, let him know I appreciate it. I have to get running though, I managed to secure that interview with the mayor, wish me luck!"

"Luck." Cas held up his hand and waved as Meg ran off towards City Hall. He let out a sigh and started to head up the stairs to his desk when a firm grip clasped his shoulder.

"Took the drink and ran, I see?" Dean's voice rang clearly from his side, and Cas turned to look at him.

"Yeah, she has an interview. It's a rare one too. Mayor Crowley doesn't like meeting with anyone."

Dean handed a Ginger Honey Iced Tea to Cas. "Huh, good for her. Let's get you inside, though. I didn't realize it'd be so cold today."

"It's December 30th, Dean. What did you expect?" Cas took a sip of the tea and rolled his eyes.

"The same thing I expect every December 30th, Cas. You to be on my ass for not wearing a coat." Dean winked at Cas and led him into the building, his arm lazily draped over Cas' shoulder.

...

Cas' day slowed down considerably after Dean went back to their apartment to get some more work done. Meg had returned in a shitty mood, complaining that the mayor was a sleazebag and had done nothing but hit on her the entire time she was in his office. 

Cas wanted to help Meg out, but he found himself stuck on his own thoughts and unable to write his own weekly article regarding events in the area. It took him the better part of the day to write - in his opinion - a measly two-thousand-word piece about the plans for the New Year's Ball. And it almost didn't get finished when Dean walked into the office.

"You know, I should get your guest pass revoked if you're just going to keep waltzing in here." Cas looked over from his monitor as Dean sat down.

"You know this is a freelancer pass, assigned to me by the EIC. Don't be mean." Dean flashed his pass. "Besides, how else can I come and bug you at work?"

"Speaking of work, shouldn't you be working?" Cas looked back at his monitor and looked at the time. It was after five, and he braced himself for the response he knew was coming.

"Nope. Plus, I finished the one commission and the piece for tomorrow's print run. I dropped it off before coming up here." Dean leaned back in his chair. "Figured I would have to drag you kicking and screaming from your desk."

Cas let out a heavy sigh. "Actually, you won't." He finished typing up a few more items before clicking submit. "I'm over today and ready to go home."

"Can I ask you a quick favor first?" Dean handed a pack of Pocky to Cas. "Can you give that to Meg?"

"Dean, she's right there, why don't–" Cas started to argue but was met with a pout from Dean. "Fine." Cas took the box and walked over to Meg.

"Clocking out, Clarence? I saw you submitted your article to formatting." 

Cas nodded and handed the Pocky to Meg. "From you know who." He looked over his shoulder at Dean, who winked at Meg. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Meg opened the box and took out a stick. "See ya, Cas."

Cas waved and walked back towards Dean, grabbing his jacket and his bag as they headed towards the elevator. "She appreciated it."

"Looked like it." Dean flashed a bright smile at Cas and handed him another Ginger Honey Iced Tea. "I appreciate you helping me out with this."

"You're welcome." Cas looked at Dean after they stepped inside. "So, we still on for tonight?"

"Oh, hell yeah, I already called the order in asked for it to be delivered in about a half-hour." Dean held up his finger. "C14, no mushrooms. I know your order by heart, Cas. It hasn't changed since college."

"I didn't think you'd get it wrong."

Dean draped his arm over Cas' shoulder as they exited the elevator. "Really? 'Cause you looked like you were about to protest."

"I was just concerned that we were going to get home on time." Cas raised his eyebrow. "Did you literally order it while I was talking to Meg?"

"Yeah. Asian Palace is fast, and they know us way too well." Dean shivered as they stepped outside. "Besides, it's cold out here, and we're not walking slow to go the two blocks to get home."

Cas poked Dean in the side. "Do I get to make fun of you for not wearing a coat now?"

"It's only two blocks!" Dean whined. "Ugh, I guess I'll break out the leather jacket. Maybe it'll help me woo Meg." He turned and looked at Cas, unwrapping his arm from Cas' shoulder. "Think she likes a guy who wears leather?"

"Considering she wears her own leather jacket? Probably." Cas shrugged.

"Awesome."

The duo walked the rest of the way back to their apartment in mostly comfortable silence. Cas felt as though there was something left unsaid between them, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what that something was. In all their years of friendship, starting at the very beginning of Freshman Year of college when they were randomly placed together as roommates, they had clicked. It was an unusual friendship, for sure, but they just worked that well together. For something to be strange between them now? It scared Cas if he were honest.

As they climbed the stairs to their second-floor apartment, Cas was almost dreading heading inside.

"Everything okay, Cas?" Dean asked, his face expressing concern as they stood outside of their home.

Cas shook his head. "Yeah, it's just been a long day." He pulled out his key and unlocked the apartment. "I'm going to take a quick shower if that's okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll grab the food when it gets here, and I'll set up the TV." Dean followed Cas into the apartment, closing the door behind them as Cas hurried to his room.

Cas wanted to use the shower as a moment to contemplate. To try and figure out what was going on through his head. Infuriatingly, the more Cas tried to figure out what happened, the less everything made sense. 

He finished his shower and got dressed, heading back out to the living room. Dean had already set up on the couch, pulling out their blankets and having set up their food. "Feeling better, Cas?"

Cas shook his head and grabbed his blanket, wrapping it around himself before he sat down. Dean handed Cas his food and a pair of chopsticks before grabbing his own. "Like I said, today's just been a little overwhelming."

"I'm sorry, buddy." Dean hopped into Cas' profile and loaded up the documentary. "Hopefully, this helps."

Cas nodded and settled back into the sofa. "I hope it does too." He cracked open his take out container and dug into his Chicken Lo-Mein, no mushrooms, as Dean had promised him. 

"You and your nature documentaries, Cas." Dean looked over and smiled fondly. "What would I do without them?"

"Probably watch too much Dr. Sexy," Cas said as he took a bite of his food.

"Yeah, most likely. Thank you for keeping me so well cultured." Dean poked Cas in the side with his foot. "I mean it, you know? Thanks for being well, you."

Cas raised his eyebrow up in confusion, his conflicting thoughts going even faster than before. "Is this you buttering me up to take something to Meg tomorrow?"

"Not really. But I did think maybe you could bring Meg to game night at Charlie's tomorrow."

"I don't know if she'd like that." Cas tilted his head.

"Dude, did you look at her bag?" Dean sat up and leaned towards Cas. "She has a set of dice pins on the strap, and she has a meeple patch on the back. She's a nerd. Maybe not as big as you and me, but she's a nerd."

Cas shook his head in disbelief. "How did you know that, and I didn't?"

"I don't know." Dean rested his arm on the back of the couch and rested his head against his fist. "I mean, she'll be at the office tomorrow, just look at her bag then. Or if you can convince her to come to Charlie's, maybe you'll notice it then."

"That's not creepy?"

"Dude, it's a conversation starter. That's why people wear pins on their bags or have patches. You've seen my backpack. You know my keychain. Conversation starters, Cas." Dean popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "How long have you two worked together?"

"She started two years ago, but only moved to the bullpen about four months ago."

Dean nodded. "Gotcha. Not a big thing then."

"What's not a big thing?" Cas inquired.

"Nothing, Cas. That's what I just said." Dean winked and earned a frustrated sigh from Cas.

"You're incorrigible. You know that, right?" Cas leaned forward and set his food on the coffee table, with Dean following suit.

"Yeah, but you still love me."

Cas shook his head. "You keep on believing that."

The rest of their evening continued to go by smoothly. At one point, Dean kicked his feet up on Cas' lap, stretching out on the couch. It had always been like that between them. No fear of the affection between the two of them. It was comforting to know how much his best friend trusted and valued their friendship.

It wasn't until Cas realized that Dean fell asleep that he took a moment to look over him. Dean was peaceful in his sleep, his chest rising up and down in a slow, relaxed rhythm. The freckles splattered across Dean's skin reminded Cas of the stars in the sky, and he had often wondered if he could find the constellations in them.

Cas gingerly took the remote from Dean's hand and turned the TV off before sliding out from under Dean's legs. He moved up to Dean's face and squatted down, gently brushing the hair out of his face. "Dean, you're going to get a crick in your neck if you sleep on the sofa."

An irritated grumble was all the response Cas received, and he fought to suppress his laughter. "Fine, you can't blame me in the morning when you're sore." Cas stood up and adjusted Dean's blanket, making sure his roommate was covered and headed back to his room.

...

The next morning, Cas woke up to find Dean's bedroom door closed, and Dean no longer on the sofa. He shook his head as he got his stuff together for work and headed out to grab a coffee before he started for the day.

The first thing Cas did upon entering the office was stop by Meg's desk. Like Dean had said, her bag had dice pins on it, but he was unable to see the patch from where he sat. Meg readily accepted the invitation to Charlie's game night. She mentioned that she was looking for a new gaming group and that it would be easy for her to check out since she would know someone there.

With Dean's request satisfied, Cas shot him a text message letting him know that Meg would be coming home with him before they went to Charlie's apartment a few doors down from theirs. Strangely, Cas noticed, he didn't get a response back.

Throughout the morning, Cas continued to send texts to Dean, checking on him, seeing if he wanted to get together for lunch. When he still received no response from Dean when it was time for him to go on his lunch break, Cas resolved himself to swing by the Café, grab them something to eat, and take it back to the apartment.

As Cas made his way to the Cafe, he attempted to call Dean but stopped as he got to the front door. He looked through the glass and saw Dean walking to a table where Meg was sitting waiting for him. He watched as Dean set a basket of fries down between them before sitting down and leaning in towards her.

Cas stepped back away from the door and crossed the street to get back into the office. His mind was traveling a mile a minute. All he could do was rush back to his computer to say that he was leaving early for the day.

He grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and headed back to the apartment, hoping to beat Dean home so he could hide until it was time to go to Charlie's.

When he arrived, Cas kicked off his shoes and hung his jacket up, taking his bag back to his bedroom with him. Cas pulled out his laptop and sat on his bed, opting to work from home. He suddenly felt childish, but at least squirreled away in his room, he was unlikely to glare daggers in Meg's direction.

Cas paused as his laptop booted up. Why would he stare daggers in Meg's direction? It was Dean who ignored him. Dean, who didn't answer his call or respond to his texts. It was Dean who didn't swing by at lunchtime like he usually did. Cas didn't like the feeling churning in his gut, and he tried to shake it away as he logged into his laptop.

A short while later, Cas heard the front door to the apartment open. "Cas?" He closed his eyes as the echo of Dean's voice traveled to his room. "Cas, Buddy, are you home?" Cas heard the familiar shuffle of Dean kicking off his shoes and dropping off his keys and braced himself as the footsteps grew in volume as Dean came to his door.

"Cas, are you in there?" Three brief raps sounded against the door, and the doorknob jiggled. Cas silently thanked his subconscious for remembering to lock the door as he sure didn't remember doing it himself. "Cas? Can you talk to me, please? You weren't at your desk when I came to see you, are you okay?"

Cas leaned back against his headboard and rubbed his eyes. Dean had gone to look for him. But why didn't he answer his phone or his texts?

"Cas, please? Did I do something? Please tell me what I did?" Dean sounded wholly devastated and confused.

Cas ran his fingers through his hair and got up, crossing over to the door and unlocking it. He swore he heard a sigh of relief from Dean as he opened the door, and he was stunned to find himself engulfed in Dean's arms once Dean could get to him. 

"Are you okay?" Dean asked as he held Cas in his arms. "You weren't at your desk, and then Meg told me that you sent an email saying that you were going home for the day."

"Yeah, I got a headache, and I think the fluorescents in the office were exacerbating it." Cas found himself leaning in towards Dean as Dean pulled back to look at him. "I tried to get a hold of you, but you didn't answer."

"Shit, I am so sorry, Cas." Dean reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, handing it to Cas. "It died. I left it on the table when I woke up and stumbled back to my bed this morning. I never got to charge it. I was heading to pick up lunch and bring it to you, but I ran into Meg, and I got distracted, and... fuck, I'm sorry, dude."

Cas swallowed and silently kicked himself. He didn't bother checking Dean's phone and pressed it back into his hands. "It's okay. I had texted you to let you know that Meg was going to join us tonight, and then to ask you if you wanted to meet for lunch. I needed to get out of the office." Cas rubbed the back of his next. "I tried to call you when I realized I wasn't feeling well and was just going to come home."

"Can I get you something?" Dean looked back towards the kitchen. "It doesn't smell like you made anything for yourself."

"Are you insinuating that I burn my cooking?" Cas raised his eyebrow, trying to get the topic off of him being home.

"I mean, there's a reason why there's take out on your nights to cook." Dean smiled. "I'm just glad it's nothing serious. Unless it is, and you want me to go check in with Charlie?"

Cas shook his head. "I'm going to finish up what I was working on then take a nap. Just make sure I'm awake about an hour before we have to be there?"

"Of course, Cas." Dean rested his hand on Cas' shoulder. "If you need me, I'll be in my room. They asked for a piece while I was over there looking for you."

"Thank you, Dean." Cas waited until Dean backed up and turned to his own room before closing his door again. He felt like an ass, and curled up on his bed, ignoring the work he said he had to do.

...

True to his word, Dean knocked on Cas' door around five to make sure that he was awake. Cas got up and made his way to the kitchen, finding Meg had already arrived and sitting at the table, talking to Dean. As he entered, she turned and smiled at him.

"Hey there, Clarence. You feeling any better?"

"Yes, thank you, Meg." He crossed over to the sink, grabbing a glass out of the cupboard and filling it with water. "I think I was just tired, and the lights were straining on me."

"Probably dehydrated too." Meg pointed at the glass of water in his hands. "Drink up, Clarence."

"Okay, I have to ask." Dean jumped in. "What's with calling Cas' Clarence.'"

"You remember what my name is, right, Dean?" Cas looked over at Dean.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. It's the name for the Angel of Thursday. Pretty hard to forget that."

"Well," Meg started, "Castiel is a mouthful, and I didn't know that he already had a nickname. Clarence is the Angel from 'It's a Wonderful Life.' Cas here is pretty wonderful. He took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of the bullpen."

"Really, you went with the wing cliché?" Cas rolled his eyes.

"Abso-fucking-lutely. I run with what I'm given." Meg took a drink out of her own glass in front of her.

"Nerds, both of you." Dean turned to Cas. "Charlie said it's cool to come over at any time, by the way."

Meg got up first. "I'm going to go use your restroom, then we can head over." 

Cas watched as she left the kitchen and turned to see Dean looking at him. "What?"

"I need you to whoop my ass at whatever we play, even if it's a game I usually win." Dean pleaded.

"Why?" Cas raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"It'll make me look bad, and Meg will go to the New Years Ball with me out of pity." Dean slid closer to Cas. "Please."

"I thought you were going to woo her by showing how awesome you are?" Cas set his glass in the sink and crossed his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't it look better if you kicked my ass?"

"No, she's a dominant kind of personality, if you get my drift." Dean clapped his hands together. "Please?"

"No. If you try and throw the game, I'll throw the game. I know how you play. Just because Meg may like to use whips and chains, doesn't mean she has to dominate you at everything." Cas rolled his eyes and exited the kitchen, heading towards the front door to get his shoes on.

At the same time, Meg exited the bathroom, utterly oblivious to their exchange. "We ready to go?"

Game night at Charlie's was meant to be a fun, relaxing, and useful way to blow off steam from everyone's workweek. Cas found it the opposite, with Meg being there. Through each game, he watched as Dean flirted shamelessly with Meg, the annoyance he felt turning into a wave of irrational anger.

After a few cooperative games, Charlie finally brought out Ticket to Ride. It was a game that Dean was notoriously good at, with his stubborn poker face, ridiculous counting skills, and sheer ability to figure out the longest route to connect his cities. Cas caught Dean looking at him, a silent plea in his eye to beat him.

As the destination cards were distributed, Cas noticed he got some of the highest point routes in the game. Including Dean's oft coveted San Francisco to Washington D.C. route. He looked over the board and realized he could keep all three cards. If Dean wanted to lose, Dean was going to lose.

Throughout the game, Cas noticed that Dean was putting an effort in, albeit not his typical fervor. Dean even put up the appearance that he was out to win, and blocked one of Cas' tracks, causing a detour, but not stopping him from finishing his route.

When they got down to the final round - Charlie had used all but one train, bringing the game to its end - Cas grabbed more route cards and was able to keep two out of the three, putting back only the one. When it came to Charlie tallying the final totals, the bonuses for _The Longest Track_ achievement and _The Most Traveled_ achievement were both given to Cas. The next closest score, Charlie's, was still 55 points behind him.

"Well, shit, Cas!" Dean smiled. "You whooped my ass."

"Screw you, Dean." Cas pushed away from the table and stormed out of Charlie's apartment, heading back to theirs.

...

That night, Cas didn't hear the apartment door open before he fell asleep.

The next morning, it was clear Dean never came home. 

Cas grabbed his phone and tried calling Dean and sent him several texts, apologizing for the way he acted. 

When it became clear that Cas wasn't going to get a response, he resigned himself to the fact that he fucked up the best friendship he's ever had over a girl. He's probably even lost his friendship with Meg.

He pulled out his laptop, determined to make up for the work he missed the day before. As he typed out the findings from the water testing report, a sick thought stuck him. Dean probably hooked up with Meg. 

Cas tossed his laptop to the side and ran to the bathroom. The sick churning in his stomach too much for him to handle. As he leaned against the porcelain throne, an even worse thought struck him.

He was in love with Dean.

The thought that he messed up everything between them had already hurt. Thinking that he wouldn't have their movie nights on the couch was salt on his wounds. But figuring out that what he and Dean had was so much more than roommates or best friends - and that he only just realized it - was destroying him.

Cas sat with his back against the wall and curled his knees up to his chest, cursing himself for not realizing that he was jealous until it was too late.

A knock at the front door distracted him for a brief moment. "Cas? I know you're in there. You can come answer the door, or I'm letting myself in with the spare you boys gave me." Charlie.

Cas didn't bother moving. Charlie was a force of nature, and even if he pushed himself up to standing, she would probably barge in before he got to the door.

"That's it, I'm coming in!" Cas heard the key slide in, and the lock disengage as Charlie let herself into their apartment. She looked over and saw him and quickly crossed to the bathroom. "Cas? What's going on? Talk to me."

Cas shook his head.

"Castiel Dmitri Novak, I need you to talk to me." Charlie crouched in front of him. "What's going on? You stormed out last night, and now you're sitting here..." She looked over at the toilet before flushing it. "Cas?"

"I love him. And I realized too late."

"You love who? Dean?" Charlie wiped a tear from his cheek. "Honey, I thought that was obvious?"

Cas shook his head before resting it on his arms again, letting out a sob. "I've lost him before I even realized."

"Cas, you don't know that. You two are best friends. I'm jealous of the bond that you two have." Charlie softly ran her fingers through his hair. "Come on, let's get you back to your room. You can grab your stuff and take a shower."

"Why?" Cas mumbled into his arms.

"Uh, you're still going to the party tonight."

Cas' head shot up. "No. No. No. I can't."

"Yes, yes, yes, you can." Charlie took Cas' arm into her hands and stood up. "Come on, stand up, Cas. I can't lift you."

Cas leaned forward and let Charlie help him to his feet. "He's going with Meg. The past few days have been about convincing Meg to go with him to the damn Ball. I can't go if he's going to be there."

"You know what? Take a shower. I'll go pull out your outfit for tonight. And we'll talk when you get out." Charlie stepped out of the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind her.

Knowing that he would have a better shot at winning the war, if he let Charlie win the battle, Cas stripped and hopped into the shower. He turned it to as hot as he could tolerate and stood in the spray. There was no way he could face Dean. Not after the night before.

Cas scrubbed himself, the hot water feeling even hotter against the freshly agitated skin. He stood under the water a little longer, wishing for it to wash away his pain. Cas shut off the water and stepped out, shivering painfully at the sudden drop in temperature. He grabbed a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist and heading to his room.

As promised, Charlie had gone through his closet and put together an out for him to wear. She sat on the bed, waiting for him, and offered a small half-smile as he walked in. "Have I ever told you, if I weren't a lesbian, I'd be all over you?"

"Only every other time we joke around, Charlie." Cas rolled his eyes and motioned for her to turn around or close her eyes.

"Oh good, you're aware then." She spun in place on his bed and faced the wall, and he grabbed his underwear off the bed before dropping the towel. "So, we're going, right?"

"Why? So I can realize how much I screwed things up?" Cas slid on his underwear before grabbing his pants and stepping into them. "He's going to be having a good time with Meg, and all I can do is stand from the sidelines and watch." Cas pulled his pants up and did them up. "You're good, Charlie."

Charlie turned back around and looked at Cas. "Then you and I can go together, and you can focus on your other best friend and have fun with me. Besides, a whole ton of people are going to be there."

"Why is it so important that I go, Charlie?"

"Easy. Because I think you'll regret it if you don't." Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and smiled smugly at him.

"Can I make a compromise?" Cas threw on his undershirt before grabbing the navy blue button-down Charlie picked out for him.

"I'm listening."

Cas started to button up his shirt. "I'll go, but I'm under no obligation to stay. If it becomes too much? Just let me leave."

"Deal." Charlie stood up from the bed as Cas started to tuck his shirt in. She brought over his grey waistcoat and helped him into it before buttoning it up for him. "You look snazzy." Charlie ran his fingers through his hair and zhuzhed it up, making it even more wild than usual. "I'm going to swing back to my apartment, throw on my outfit, and I'll be right back, okay?"

Cas nodded as she left and proceeded to fill his pockets with the things he would need for the night. He picked up his phone and unlocked it. Still having no response of any kind from Dean, he let out a heavy sigh and locked his phone, putting it back in his pocket.

A few minutes later, Charlie returned and looped her arm around Cas'. "You got this, okay?"

"If you say so." Cas offered a half-smile as she led him out of their apartment building. Together, they walked down the few blocks to the club where the party was being held.

The party was already underway when Charlie and Cas arrived. People were mingling, some people were out on the dance floor, most were sitting or standing at tables socializing. The exact opposite of what Cas wanted to do.

"I'm going to go grab us some drinks. Will you be okay for a moment?" Charlie asked.

Cas could only nod, and he took the claim of one of the standing tables away from the dance floor. He hadn't caught sight of Dean or Meg, and he was grateful. Until there was a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, Cas." The painfully familiar voice rung out loud and clear, even over the rumble of the band that was currently playing.

Cas turned and spared a Dean a glance. He had dressed up in a dark maroon shirt, one that caused both his eyes and his freckles to pop out. He cursed himself for looking. "Hello, Dean." Cas paused, tasting the next words in his mouth before speaking them. "Should you be with your new girlfriend?

"I would, but I haven't given you your payment for helping me yet."

"I don't want it. Twirl your girl around on the dance floor." Cas leaned against the table.

Dean remained unfazed and instead gently elbowed Cas. "Look." He pointed towards the dancefloor.

Charlie and Meg were dancing, the ladies looking perfect as they moved together in their fluid movement.

"What's your point, Dean?" Cas hung his head. "You guys convince Charlie I'm crap too?"

"Nope. It means Meg's into ladies." Cas turned to look at Dean, who had his insufferable smirk on his face. "Charlie's got a big win tonight."

Cas shook his head. "Why aren't you more upset over this? You were literally trying to get her to come with you for the past few days. You were crazy for her."

"Dude, who told you I was crazy for _her_?" Dean moved his arm and pulled a drink out from behind his back before handing it to Cas. "Ginger Honey Iced Tea. It's your favorite, isn't it?"

"Wait, what?" Cas' heart started beating a mile a minute. "No, you had me deliver her things."

"How do you think I knew which items she would like? The ice cream was me being silly, but she cornered me when I was dropping things off to the print shop." He offered the drink to Cas again. "When I told her what my intentions were, she was completely on board."

"She was in on it?" Cas looked to the dance floor again. "So was Charlie." He looked back at Dean and took the drink. "Why?"

"Made you jealous, didn't I?" Dean leaned in, a playfulness in his green eyes that Cas recognized.

"You like me?" Cas questioned.

Dean shook his head. "Cas, I love you."

The band leader stopped the music, "We're at 60 seconds until the New Year rolls in!"

"You couldn't just tell me?" Cas scoffed. "You put me through the worst day yesterday, for what?"

"Were you sure that loved me?" Dean crossed his arms over his chest.

The band leader called out again. "30 seconds!"

"You obnoxious pain in my ass." Cas hung his head and shook it.

"Obnoxious?" Dean grabbed for the tea. "I guess you don't want that after all."

"It's mine, you gave it to me!"

"Ten seconds, ladies and gentlemen!" The band leader called out.

Dean wrapped his hand around the cup.

"Nine!"

He tried to pull, but Cas pulled back.

"Eight!"

"Give it here, I don't give gifts to people who call me obnoxious."

"Six!"

"Then you should have just said it!"

"Five!"

Cas pulled it close and held it against his chest.

"Four!"

Dean grabbed it again and tugged on it.

"Three!"

Cas came along with the pull, ending face to face with Dean.

"Two!"

Dean took a short breath and flickered his eyes from Cas' eyes to his lips and back again.

"One!"

Cas crashed his lips into Dean's as the room around them cheered for the Happy New Year.

**Author's Note:**

> Are you into Destiel? Do you use Discord? Are you over the age of 18? Looking for a cool group of people to hang out with? Come join the writers, artists, and other amazing Destiel fans on the [Profound Bond Discord Server](https://discord.gg/profoundbond).


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